🔗 Share this article Exposing Venezuelan Celebration Footage and AI-Generated Pictures of Maduro. Synthetic graphics claiming to show Nicolás Maduro detained after his capture by the American authorities have garnered many millions of views online. The Way Fake Pictures of Maduro Appeared Within Hours The first fake synthetic picture apparently displaying him taken off a plane emerged shortly after. This image was not shared any authoritative American sources; it was instead posted on X by an profile describing itself as an “enthusiast of AI-generated art”. We’ve checked the SynthID tool, determining the image was produced or modified with Google AI. More AI-generated pictures began to spread in the following hours, seemingly depicting different views of Maduro detained. Visible identifying marks on these images reveal they originated from an Instagram profile called ultravfx. SynthID indicates these additional pictures were likewise generated or edited generative models. Authentic Image Released but Fakes Continued The former US president released the first real photo of Nicolás Maduro handcuffed aboard the USS Iwo Jima on that morning. But even after the authentic image was released, AI-generated images persisted online but were updated to incorporate the grey tracksuit seen on Maduro. Digital forensics show the new fake images were first posted on the video platform by a graphic design profile. Once again, SynthID found these further images were created or altered Google AI. Main Takeaways: AI-generated content circulated quickly after the events of Maduro's capture. The first fake image was shared very quickly on social media. Tools like AI-watermark detectors helped to identify the images as synthetic. Fabrications continued to circulate and be updated even after the publication of authentic images. The origin of many fabricated images was linked to social media accounts focused on AI art.